


Call To Arms

by UnfortunateImplications



Category: Avatar (The Last Airbender), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Gen, Imperialism, Ozai Is Still An Asshole Though, White People Happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:56:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnfortunateImplications/pseuds/UnfortunateImplications
Summary: The European Imperialism AU That Absolutely No One Asked For





	1. PROLOGUE

When Iroh returns that winter from his failed siege on Ba Sing Se he finds the court full of strange men in the colours of the Earth Kingdom. The journey to Ba Sing Se had been exciting, full of the promise of power, glory. The journey back to the palace had been long, exhausting, draining. Now he is hollow. The bed on the other side of the room is empty and the generals do not speak to him, silenced both by fear of his rage and the shame of returning without conquest. The visitors from the Earth Kingdom serve only to remind him of his shame. 

When he had left last summer, there had been fanfare to send him off, but there is none to welcome him home. The attendants bring his scant belongings back to his quarters and he heads to court only to be greeted by the sight of the people from the Earth Kingdom regarding him with some wariness. The first person who greets him is his nephew, barely twelve and still retaining the childish dependence he had had prior to Iroh's departure. Iroh eyes these new men, the war has made him wary of strange men, and pulls Zuko towards him. 

"Zuko, who are these men?" He asks in a hushed tone. 

"They come from the Earth Kingdom, uncle, the town of Gao Ling." Zuko responds "They have warned us of traders pushing in from across the ocean who claim to want our silk and jewels in exchange for silver."

"And your father, Ozai, he has agreed?"

"I don't know, uncle, he's in a war meeting."

"Without you?" 

"I am forbidden from joining the war council, uncle." 

"I don't like this, Zuko." 

"I know, uncle. But what can we do?"

"Keep out of their way you understand? I have lost a son already to war, I will not lose another..."

There is a heavy pause. 

"Uncle?"

"It is nothing, Zuko, the ramblings of an old man."

"You aren't old, uncle."

"Everyone comes back from the war a much older man than they were when they left."

The people from Gao Ling, messengers and guards sent by the Bei Fong family, leave later under the cover of night. Firelord Ozai himself sees the messengers off as the rest of the royal family seat themselves for dinner. 

More of the cities of the Earth Kingdom come in contact some months later, King Bumi of Omashu comes himself. There is no royal procession to announce their coming, only the king and his generals. When the king arrives, he is escorted quickly to the throne room. The red light casts a feverish glow on his aged features.

"We've finally heard from the benders of the Si Wong Desert. They claim to recognise these..." Bumi pauses, his face screwing with distaste " _White_ men. They had claimed to seek only knowledge through travel, but they returned with battalions and laid waste to what remains of the eastern air temples as well as the towns in the desert. We in Omashu have retained peace for too long and I do not know if we are prepared defeat them in battle should they come for us." Bumi looks up at the Fire Lord, meeting his eyes for an uncomfortable amount of time. 

"We will offer our protection" Firelord Ozai finally responds "We have the men and power necessary to fight, but at a cost. You will recognise us as your rulers."

Bumi is silent, then "And the men. You will want ours."

"As many as possible. We cannot deny the threat any longer."

"We have come to you at a time of need, Fire Lord..."

"And we have answered to your desperation. Take our bargain or fend for yourselves against them."

"And will you protect us then, if we recognise you as our lords. When they come for our women and children, when they come for our riches, will you stand against them?"

"We will always protect our own, Bumi."

"Then Omashu surrenders to you, Fire Lord."

In the months that follow, other cities in the Earth Kingdom surrender to Fire Nation protection and rule. The court issues a draft, all ablebodied benders are to enlist or serve the army in some way. The prince and princess of the Fire Nation themselves enlist and lead the efforts, rising quickly to positions of leadership. It is under this period of fear that the army grows into one of the greatest, all benders united under the Fire Nation emblem. It is under this period that the Fire Nation withdraws their forces from the water tribes, imploring what remains of the North to join in in the defense against the foreign power.


	2. CHAPTER ONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 18 Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back. I've gone back and edited the prologue to better fit the overall story. I hope you enjoy.

It is at this peak of Fire Nation influence that Zuko reaches adulthood. He becomes a capable bender under the constant threat of war. By the summer of his seventeenth year he is sent to New Ozai in an attempt to keep it under the crown's control. The people of the south do not recognise him as their prince but they do recognise the Fire Nation sigil that adorns his armour, and as far as anyone is concerned that is all they need to recognise. He is here merely as an extension of his father's influence.

He sees the foreigners bargaining in the taverns and teashops that he frequents with the earth bending soldiers who had been sent in advance.They call out to him, what they call him he isn't completely clear on but he pretends not to hear, tries to imitate his sister's loftiness. It works. He thinks.

Mai, a member of Azula's team, had been assigned to follow him to New Ozai. Whether as a guard or an informant to Ozai's Empire, Zuko isn't sure. She arrives a month into his assignment and becomes a persistent shadow.

That night, at a tavern, he finally brings himself to ask Mai about the royal court.

"How are things back home?"

Mai doesn't look up at him, choosing instead to stare into her cup "Azula has joined the war council."

Zuko breathes out, steady breaths, like Iroh had taught him. He can hear the foreigners grow louder, more daring as the alcohol sets in. He practically has to yell to be heard over the din "Has she?"

"Being royalty has to be good for something after all." The disdain rolls off her words and Zuko winces.

"That and the lightning bending. Wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of that." Zuko says, he hopes his tone is light. He knows it isn't.

There is a crash, Zuko's head whips around. One of their soldiers, Ei has pinned one of the foreigners into the wall with a boulder. The man splutters obscenities in his strange tongue at her.

Zuko calls out to her "Release him, Ei. Do not incite violence."

Ei glares "He deserved it."

"You ruin the peace with your anger, let him go or action will be taken."

Ei lets the boulder drop onto the man's feet before storming out with last one scathing look.

"She was right, you know." Mai says coolly when Zuko turns back around to face her "These men view our people as another commodity."

"Attacking them ruins any chance of peace. We are here as peacekeepers." 

Mai scoffs at that and stands "You can not be so naive as to think that they came for peace. They came to conquer and if you think being polite will change anything or prevent an invasion, then you are truly the fool everyone takes you for, _Prince_ Zuko."

Zuko watches as she leaves. Her words sting, another reminder that his position is as insecure as ever. That night when he returns to the Fire nation outpost where he and his men reside, he hears voices from the common area. He almost announces himself until he hears them speak.

"Why is he here anyway? Too weak to be involved in court?" He hears Ei say.

"Azula sent him," He hears Mai respond "says she wants someone _reliable_ in New Ozai."

Ei scoffs at that "By that she means someone skilled enough only to stop local disputes and drunken idiots without seeking power?" There is silence from Mai's end.

Ei continues "Is he still the heir?"

"It seems so. But the council is pushing for Azula to be named heir. It's unclear whether she has been or not."

"Sounds about right, isn't she in charge of New Ozai anyway?"

"Regardless, the Mandate states that the eldest child is the rightful heir and Ozai, for all his power, is hesitant to anger the heavens."

"He has no right to the throne, has little to no merit."

There is silence then, and Zuko heads quietly to his room. If his mother was here she would have laughed, called it an opportunity. _An opportunity... for what?_ He doesn't know, he doesn't _like_ not knowing. Unfortunately he doesn't know where his mother is, she had disappeared months before the messengers from Gao Ling had arrived in court. The news that his status as heir may be revoked surprises him, without that title he is unsure what authority he has. There is a dull ache, a sense that perhaps he should care a little more about that title. Iroh would say that he would want Zuko to be a good man rather than a ruler, but what does Iroh know about being Fire Lord anyway?


	3. Chapter 3

It is the middle of the night, sweat drips down Zhao's face. He wipes at it with the back of his hand, reaches again for the tea placed before him at the table. It is hot, hot like the throne room he has been stuck in since sundown. It is too hot for tea.

The princess's voice is carried on heatwaves down the table to him "Ba Sing Se still has not surrendered to us."

"But princess, is it necessary to force them to when we already have troops there?" One of the more cowardly generals responds.

The princess's eyes narrow. "They will not be forced, General Wai, there are ways." The princess's voice drips poison. There is no other way to describe it, it is too sickeningly sweet in the humidity of the throne room.

"Not to mention that _if_ invaders ever come, Ba Sing Se and its resources will be left vulnerable to attack." General Kyi snaps back "As perhaps the biggest city in the former Earth Kingdom it is irresponsible to not secure its resources."

"Surely the walls will hold, Kyi."

"The walls did not hold up against us, and we don't know what they are capable of."

"Not to mention that our invasion has weakened the walls." San responds "When we took Ba Sing Se we had to break in from the Eastern side."

"But they aren't benders, what could they possibly do that our soldiers could not counter?" Wai asks incredulously.

"They managed to defeat the sand benders, Wai, we are taking no risks." Kyi snaps.

The discussion comes to a halting end. The silence is heavy, tense.

"What of Iroh and his men?" another General (Gawa? Zhao isn't sure, can't be half assed to care) asks. Gawa's line of questioning only causes the Fire Lord's expression to further darken and for Zhao's irritation to only grow.

Zhao gets to his feet "Fire Lord, if I may, I volunteer to secure Ba Sing Se as a tributary state."

All eyes are on him, daring him to back down.

The Fire Lord's gaze rests on him with some amusement before saying "Princess Azula will lead the siege on Ba Sing Se. General Iroh will be summoned back to the capital. They will leave within the week."

"I have sent for my team. We will be ready to leave for Ba Sing Se once the ship to the mainland is ready." She responds, bowing her head in acknowledgement.

"Very good."

There is grumbling heard from the generals.

"That will be all. Leave me." They are dismissed, like a swarm of annoying buzzard wasps. Chairs scrape almost deafeningly loud against the stone floor as the room empties.

Once Zhao is free of the throne room he slams his fist into a stone pillar, it hurts, but does not compare to the rage boiling in him. The guards and remaining generals turn at the thud of flesh against stone. He snarls at them and the majority back off, continuing to go about their night, knowing better than to incur his wrath.

"I would be careful if I were you, General Zhao." The same sickening voice comes from behind him "The Fire Lord would not be pleased to hear that you disprove of his decisions."

He turns, forcing a docile expression into his face.

The princess stands by the closed door to the throne room, smiling pleasantly at him.

"I would never, your _highness_." He bows, even though it hurts his pride to be forced to bow to a girl, his words travelling to the floor rather than to his intended target.

Her smile grows, predatory. "See that you don't, general."

\---

Mai has only just finished preparing for bed when she hears the knock at the door. She is tempted to ignore the person on the other side, most likely Zuko coming to tell her off. She doesn't care, it is _too hot_ to care about the whiney crown prince and his sense of righteousness. She has her back to the door when she hears a voice call out "Lady Mai, a summons from the royal court."

She groans, another whiney royal demanding her time. She takes her time pulling her robe on and making her way to the door.

"When was this sent?" Mai asks, taking the letter. She recognises the three pronged flame on the seal, Azula, as she had expected.

"Midday, Lady Mai. The messenger hawk arrived at sundown." The servant watches her intently for a reaction.

"Does the crown prince know of this?" Mai asks, scanning the letter.

"The princess has ordered otherwise, my lady." Now  _that,_ Mai thinks, is finally  _interesting._

Mai finally turns to the servant, a young man, most likely of Si Wong descent "You may leave, I will leave for Gao Ling at sunrise."

"I will prepare the ostrich horses and send word to the ports. Will that be all for tonight?"

"You may leave me now." Mai says glancing pointedly at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been hot here lately, so I had to incorporate that into this chapter. Also Mai and Zhao are great to write when you're irritated.


End file.
